The Devil's Pawn
by Paradosso
Summary: Somewhat AU: Nyx just stared as her brother was chained to the wall, preparing to be executed. They strung him up like this so he could see the faces of all the people jeering and spitting out insults at him. "Go to hell!" She viciously sneered at Perseus. He shot her a mocking look, "I guess I'll see you there then…"
1. Chapter 1

**The Devil's Pawn**

**For the sake of the story, let's say Thalia is fifteen, because if she was any younger, romance would officially be dead. And for all you geniuses out there, feel free to inform me of any informational errors made during the reading.**

**Somewhat AU: Nyx just stared as her brother was chained to the wall, preparing to be executed. They strung him up like this so he could see the faces of all the people jeering and spitting out insults at him. "Go to hell!" She viciously sneered at Perseus.**

**He shot her a mocking look, "I guess I'll see you there then…"**

**Chapter One: What Goes Bump in the Night**

Thalia raced up the hill, furiously gesturing for her friends to pass over the top. "No!" Luke yelled, "I won't leave you!"

But Grover, scared as he may be, gathered his courage, gripping Luke from behind his back and pulling him the rest of the way. Tears ran down Luke's cheeks, mixing in with the rain, and he thrashed and thrashed in Grover's hands, but he wouldn't let go.

"THAAALIAAAA!" Tears ran down the daughter of Zeus' cheeks as her friends disappeared from her sight, and she turned around, steeling her courage.

"Well," she dryly muttered, "if I was going to die, it would be soaked to my socks, right?"

The first monster which rounded the hillside was a hellhound, which she killed with a decent amount of difficulty. Ultimately, a spearhead fully buried in its snout had to kill it though.

Before she saw her next opponent, an arrow flew over the verge of the hill, landing only inches away from her right boot. Two twin dracaenae came into view, one wielding a bow and the other brandishing a long, thin knife.

The archer loosed twin arrows, forcing Thalia to hide behind her shield. She could not, however, avoid the knife which drew a shallow cut on her right forearm. "Aaah!" She cried, parrying a second blow with the staff of her spear.

In her peripheral vision, she faintly saw an arrow flying toward her. As the knife-wielding dracaenae lunged, she leapt out of the way with as much force as possible. The arrow, still on its path to her previous position, struck the other dracaenae through the throat, effectively killing it.

She charged toward the archer, stabbing it through the chest with her spear. At the pounding of more feet coming up the hill, she pressed her boot into what was left of the dracaenae, jerking out her spear.

Three harpies came up the hill, swerving in the air and cackling madly. Gripping Thalia with its clawed feet, it picked her up and threw her to the ground.

Groaning, Thalia stood to her feet and threw her spear. It struck the harpy in the wing, throwing it to the ground. Suddenly, something slammed into her side, knocking Thalia on her back.

"τακούνι!" A raspy voice commanded. "Daughter of Zeus, you would not believe the strife your father has caused our master," it spoke. "We are here to gain vengeance."

"So killing me will satiate your bloodlust?" Thalia spat.

"Quiet!" It snapped, inching closer to the girl, who happened to be pinned by a hellhound.

Suddenly, the beast rose, and the gnarled face of Tisiphone, the fury of Hades. In her right hand was a sickle, elongated to the length of a sword, the edges green with poison.

"For Maria," Thalia heard come from the fury's mouth, before the sword curved down, aimed for Thalia's neck. The daughter of Zeus shut her eyes tightly, praying to her father-though she doubted her prayer would be answered.

**_~Retribution~_**

When Thalia woke, she lay in a dark, unlit room, on a cold stone bed. "Ugh, I'm dead. Joy," She sarcastically muttered.

"Not quite," a cold, unemotional voice responded, from somewhere in the darkness.

"Who's there?" Thalia asked, fear creeping up on her.

"I'm armed!" She warned, reaching down to grab her spear, but then remembering how she hadn't been able to retrieve her weapon.

"Oh, you mean this?" She heard a mocking tone in the stranger's voice as her spear clattered to the floor in front of her.

"Are you here to torture me?" Thalia timidly asked.

The stranger let out a deep, throaty chuckle. Placing his hand on her shoulder-Thalia will forever deny that she girlishly shrieked- he replied, "I'm here to offer you something."

Thalia finally gained a glimpse of the stranger's appearance. He had long, shaggy black hair, darkened gray eyes, and a scar, running from the edge of his nose to his chin. He wore a simple t-shirt, portraying a skull with an arrow through its eye, and black jeans, overlapping with his black combat boots.

"And what is that?" Thalia growled, regaining some of her courage.

The stranger sighed, running a hand through his long black hair. "My brethren happened to think I was committing treason upon our king, Helix. They captured me, trapped me to a wall and chopped my head off." He lowered his t-shirt, rubbing a scar that stretched all the way along his neck.

"I believe Helix's brother, Fate, is planning to murder his brother… and all of his followers." He lowered his head, letting it hang, and continued, "even though they betrayed me, they're my family, and I can't leave them to die."

"So how do I fit into this?" Thalia asked.

The man raised his head again. "That's the crucial part. They'll recognize me and attack if I come in this form." He slammed a book on the table next to her, flipping to a certain page. "This describes how to merge to essences into one body, or a host, you could say."

Thalia let that sink in. "So… I'm gonna be your host."

"I wish it could be another way… but yeah, you are."

"Firstly, what are you? Who are you?" Thalia asked.

"Well, I believe your kind has a special name for us. The Prometheans. Nyx, Hemera, Aether, Erebus, Gaia, Tartarus, and Hydros, though many of them are likely in hibernation now."

"So which one are you?" Thalia inquired.

"Me? I'm Perseus, the balance."

**_~Retribution~_**

"So, how does this merger thing work then?" Thalia questioned once they had reached the destination necessary.

"It's very specifically stated, and must happen at a certain point." He replied.

"So, how are the specifics chosen?" The daughter of Zeus asked.

"Well, I'm not able to merge with just anyone. They have to have mythological parentage," Percy said, leaping up the mountain with godlike agility, "and the specifics are based on their parentage."

"So, that's why we're marching up a mountain? We need an elevated platform to be in the highest part of the sky possible?"

"Sort of. I'll explain when we get there."

The biggest thing that Thalia learned on her 30-minute trip up the remaining part of the mountain was that gods suck at small talk. Like, all of them.

"Here," Percy-what Thalia had shortened his name to- spoke, stretching out his hand, "take my hand, and call down some lightning when I stop chanting."

Thalia nodded and Percy turned to the sky. "κυρία Χάος , σοι επικαλεστεί για τη συγχώνευση ψυχές μας σε ένα , και τα σώματά μας , όπως καλά!"

Thalia felt her gut tighten, and she let out a scream, summoning lightning to their position.

**_~Retribution~_**

Luke growled, turning towards Annabeth. "I don't care! They let Thalia die, and now they won't even show me the body! They don't care for us! My father watched as my mom went crazy, but he didn't do a damn thing, did he?"

A single tear slid down Annabeth's cheek, more threatening to follow, but she blinked, forcing them back. "Luke…" she spoke, reaching a hand out towards her friend.

"Agh!" Annabeth fell to the floor, by the doing of the back of Luke's hand.

"Don't follow me, Anna. Don't try to contact me, and let Chiron find out on his own."

With that, Luke marched into the woods, off to Zeus knows where.

Thirty minutes later, Luke had made it to a dirt road in Montauk, and was too busy sharpening his knife to see the Cyclops behind him. The beast clubbed him on the back of his head, knocking him out and dragging him off to an unknown location.

When Luke woke up, all he could see was darkness. "Where am I?" He demanded.

"Oh, you're awake." A monotonous voice drawled.

"Well, Lucas, I heard you're rebelling against Olympus."

"They must pay for their blatant disregard for their children." Luke responded, his eyes narrowing.

"I believe you would be a useful addition to my army."

"That all depends on your army's cause." Luke smoothly responded.

"Oh, you know, the usual. World domination, only on a larger scale. And you, my dear friend, would rule all of the earth with an iron fist and a queen of your choice at your side. The only catch, you must lead the battle on earth, for I have a fight with a much more prominent opponent."

"So, to lead an army under your name, I must know your name. What is it?"

"You may address me as Fate."

**_~Retribution~_**

"Ugh!" Thalia grunted as she landed on her stomach.

Squatting beside her, Percy spoke, "If you can't keep up with one of me in a fight, how do you think you'll fare against seven of me, all attacking you simultaneously?"

Thalia spun around, attempting to kick Percy's feet out from under him. Leaping over them, Percy waved his index finger. "Uh, uh, uh, good try, though."

Growling, Thalia leapt to her feet and tried to jab Percy in the cheek. He ducked her punch, jabbing her back in the midsection, then popping up and striking her in the curve between her neck and shoulder.

Thalia flopped to the ground quite pathetically, unable to move anything below her neck. "Don't worry; the paralysis will wear off in a couple of minutes."

When Thalia was up and ready once again, she launched a kick at Percy's midsection. Grabbing her leg, Perseus hauled Thalia up by her jacket collar, throwing her to the ground. Once again, he began taunting Thalia, "Come on, gimme something unexpected!"

Springing to her feet, Thalia grabbed Percy by his shirt collar, crashing her lips into his. Percy was inexperienced in this area, and he was clumsy, whereas Thalia, albeit creepily, was not. When she pulled away, a predatory grin lit up her face, and she murmured, "How's that for unexpected?"

Thalia took pleasure in how flustered Percy was as he released her from training that day.

When she made it to her cabin, it was right next to Percy's, she found her weapons bag, filled with her bow, quiver, and arrows, her spear, and her shield. Slinging her quiver over her shoulder, she grabbed her bow from the bag, heading out to find a suitable clearing fit for archery.

She had taken three shots-none of them were bull's-eyes- before she heard his voice. "You'll have to ditch the bow." Thalia turned around, and immediately wished she hadn't.

The blood rushed to her face as she took in his appearance. He was dressed in a tight fitting tee, displaying his abundant upper body muscles, and black jeans, though he had chosen to come out barefoot.

Regaining her ability to form coherent sentences, Thalia asked, "And why would that be?"

Coming agonizingly close to the teenage girl, he responded, "The people you are going to be with and fighting against are trained to their peak in everything. If you use a bow, they'll spot you from a mile away. It's too bulky." Flashing a sleek, thin knife from Zeus knows where, he continued, "This weapon is small enough for you to throw and remain unnoticed. It is also sharper and stronger than those arrows, as they are made from different metals. This throwing knife is made out of a graphene-alloy only one atom thick, so small it is nearly invisible to an untrained eye."

He tossed it to her, giving her a warning, "Careful. Simply touching the blade could cut you." Once Thalia had righted her grip, she threw the weapon, and it imbedded itself near the center of her target.

She turned to Percy with a smug grin. He returned the look, "Well done," he praised, "but to blend in you'll need to know more than simply how to throw a weapon."

He produced two blades from behind his back, handing one to her before explaining, "Made by the Stygereans, this metal is called Silicone Carbide, and was spread all over the place when their planet exploded two thousand years ago. They're laced with a poison you earthlings call curare, and can stop your breathing in less than a minute. For the sake of survival, I have temporarily removed their poison; at least until you have developed the immunity my blessing grants you."

He swung his sword in wide circles, nodding to Thalia. Taking that as her cue to begin, she swung her sword at his neck, to which he ducked, tapping her chest with the tip of his blade. "You overextended yourself, making it harder to react when necessary."

Thalia feinted at his midsection, curving toward his chest. Percy waited until she had fully extended her arm, before parrying, slapping her wrist with the flat of his blade and forcing her to drop her blade. Thalia sighed, "This is gonna be a _long _day."

When Percy finally told her to stop, their score was 72-3, and Thalia was pretty sure Percy let her win those three matches. Handing her a rag, Percy slung his shirt over his shoulder-he'd taken it off after around forty duels- and walked away, giving Thalia a wonderful view of his back muscles.

The teenager groaned; that man was such a freaking tease, and she was pretty sure he knew all about the hormones that affected her at her current age.

Suddenly, she was enveloped by darkness, and a splitting headache floored her. _So this is who shall oppose my son. I hope you are worthy._

**_~Retribution~_**

A young demigod who went by the name of Melvin kneeled before Luke, sputtering out something. "Sire, the demigods are having dreams. A young son of Poseidon has been claimed, and is leaving on a quest currently."

Luke rubbed the unshaved stubble on his chin thoughtfully. "Your information has been quite useful. Return to camp, and bring me any information via Iris Messaging. I must convene with the Grand Master."

The demigod scurried away, and Luke stormed through the tents which made up the current base of the Anti-Olympus army. Brushing away the drapes with led to the holographic communications area, Luke spoke out a command, "Delta-Seven-Bravo-Junior," otherwise known as the code which broadcasted to Fate's domain.

"Broadcast code accepted. Transmitting to Grand Master immediately." The monotonous voice belonging to Fate's advanced supercomputer spoke.

"Yes, commander?" The holographic projection of Fate turned around in his throne, facing Luke.

"The demigods are beginning to suspect that a new threat to Olympus is rising. What shall I do?"

You could nearly see the wheels turning behind the Grand Master's eyes as he processed the information. "Return to camp. Tell them that you were captured by Kronos' army, and that he is the new threat." A necklace appeared on the table next to the hologram appeared, a big red 'F' on the chain. "Tug on this when you need to contact me. I.S. end transmission."

**_~Retribution~_**

"So, you were captured by my father's army, but they released you." Chiron seemed to be in disbelief that his father would spare a life.

"He wanted me to send a message. My best guess is that he expected us to act like chickens who've just been beheaded. He wants to get into our heads." Luke explained, wringing his hands under the table they sat at.

"Yes." Chiron mulled over Luke's analysis. "That does sound like my father. The Olympians must know about this. I will be back as soon as they are informed and have come to a consensus."

As soon as Chiron left, Luke took it upon himself to catch up on the happenings at camp while he was away. Apparently, a boy named Gerard had been claimed by Poseidon, though on his way to camp, the Grand Master had informed Luke that he was actually a son of Oceanus, who planned to attack in accordance with Luke's own.

He had worked out a deal with the old sea god that gave him full possession of all the oceans on earth, so long as he left the upper lands alone.

Apparently, this boy had taken Annabeth and Grover on a quest, feigning allegiance to Camp Half-Blood, to retrieve the Scepter of Hecate, the most powerful mystical weapon on the earth.

"Luke!" The son of Hermes turned around to find his two half-brothers, Connor and Travis, stumbling over each other to get to him.

"How've ya been man?" Travis was hunched over, hands on his knees, but looking up at Luke, grinning madly.

"Oh, you know, around Manhattan, and places." Luke replied casually, pulling his brother into a hug.

"You hear about the new kid? I hear he has the hots for Annabeth." Connor was standing slightly behind Travis, also smiling at their recently returned half-brother.

"Really now? It's about time Annie got somebody to look after her." Luke replied, noting this information for future use.

Before their conversation could carry on, a conch horn rang out, and Travis exclaimed, "Let's go!"

"Conner, you come with me!" Luke commanded.

Racing into the forest together, Connor and Luke were quickly confronted by a battalion of dracaenae. Luke was the first to react, whipping his sword out of its scabbard with the hissing noise that always accompanied leather and metal.

Flicking his arm, he quickly decapitated one, whirling around and stopping the knife of another with a parry. Connor was a decent bit clumsier, sloppily taking his knife out, and telegraphing his attacks.

"Connor, look out!" Luke exclaimed, pointing towards the massive hellhound leaping towards Connor.

"Ugh!" Connor fell to the ground, his knife sliding several feet away from him on the forest floor.

"δάγκωμα!" The hellhound teeth ripped into the flesh of the demigod's neck, ripping out his throat.

"Be gone!" Luke commanded, waving his hand at the monsters. Waiting until the commotion on the other side of camp had died down, Luke cut his shirt into tatters, and retrieved the corpse of his half-brother, donning a somber look and trudging back to camp.

"Luke!" Heard a voice call. "What happened?"

Luke looked up, finding the Travis' eyes staring at him sadly, yet expectantly. "Connor ran off into the woods too fast for me. I ran to catch up, but when I found him, a hellhound was on top of him, ripping out his throat. I fought him off, but a group of monsters came for me, so I ran. I'm sorry." Luke hung his head solemnly, as if he expected to be berated.

"It's okay." Travis said softly, his voice barely even heard.

"Really?" Luke looked up hopefully.

"Yeah. Let's tell Chiron what's happened." With that, Travis and Luke marched to the big house to Iris Message Chiron.

**_~Retribution~_**

As Thalia had recently learned, black magic sucked. Like, a lot. "Ugh!" Percy slammed into the wall, the shadows creeping towards him.

"Your parents should've told you not to play with magic, kids…" The creepily wrinkled magician stalked towards them, his fingers wriggling in the air.

"You know what?" Percy started, "You're right. But my mom's kinda dead, and my dad's a jackass, so I learned some'f my own."

"**Thurisaz**!" He exclaimed, and a wall of fire raced toward the black-shawled man. When then fire dissipated, the man stood there, a transparent sphere of darkness around him.

"That's some powerful magic you're playing with. You'll blow this place to hell if y' use any more of that." The sphere had faded, and now the man was reaching into the sleeve of his cloak.

Percy had some black liquid running out of his nose, and he coughed, spitting up some more of it. "What is that?" Thalia hissed.

"_Cila_," He began, "the blood of the Prometheans. I'll tell you more later. For now, let's waste this jackass. I'll hold off him f'r a few seconds."

He clenched his right fist, uttering a word under his breath. Suddenly, Thalia could move again, though she knew it was temporary. Thalia fluently grasped a throwing knife from her thigh sheathes, launching it at the cloaked man.

It struck him in the temple, and he fell lifelessly to floor with a thud. Percy fell on his hands and knees, coughing and wheezing, till there was a substantial puddle of _Cila_ on the ground. "Percy!" Thalai exclaimed in worry, dropping next to him.

"'M fine," He insisted, wiping his mouth of the blood, "I'll just need a couple hours rest."

"You're obviously not fine. You're weaker than me, and I'm mortal!" Thalia protested, her arms flailing around for emphasis.

"'S just the fact that resisting the merge weakens me. It takes a lot of energy to not be inside you." Percy groaned, rolling onto his back. "I just realized how perverse that sounds."

"Yup." Thalia said, lying down next to him. "What's the deal with this _Cila_ thing anyway?"

"Well, all Prometheans have sort of a filter, I guess. We have ichor, but the thing that separates us from regular immortals is _Cila_. You see, in exchange for more power than regular gods, we can be killed. We have an organ which holds the _Cila_, and it must be severed from our bodies by a metal known as Helixean silver, which is the first metal ever created. However, it must be bathed in Sveti beforehand. Y'see, before we Prometheans came, a race before us called Leviathans were created by Fate, pretty much his version of the furies, except there is a whole army of these bad boys. To ensure our safety from these goliaths, Helix created a liquid called Sveti, which will kill them with a simple touch. We must be killed by Helixean silver fully soaked in Sveti, but since the Leviathans cannot touch them, they cannot kill us." Percy took a breath from his long explanation.

"So, does anything else slow these freaks down?" Thalia asked.

"Well, they can be beheaded, and they'll have to reform, but that only takes 'em about a day. Anything else they'll fight through, driven by the mindless rage that they were created with."

"So, why do they have this mindless rage?" Thalia questioned.

"Fate created them when he was mad because Helix was the ruler of the galaxies," Percy explained, climbing to his feet, "anyway, let's get outta here. Smells too much like blood anyway."

**_~Retribution~_**

Siris grunted as he slammed into the wall. "What would you need me for anyway?" He taunted. "All I do is gain retribution for what people do to others. You're the wrongdoer here." His bloody smile shone in the small apartment complex.

"You're wrong, assassin. See, over the years, I've studied you. And every job you've ever taken has something in common. They all paid you. True vengeance has no recompense other than the feeling that you've done good. However, truth has never been my forte." The cloaked figure gave a matching smirk, his fist clenching, and the hitman fell from his position on the wall. "I'll pay you triple your whole wealth currently, given your alliance toward me."

Seeing no other alternative, Siris agreed. The cloaked man vanished, leaving a large **'F' **where he was standing.

**_~Retribution~_**

Luke grinned as he saw the son of Oceanus' smug grin vanish as Annabeth clung to Luke's arm as soon as she passed over the verge of Half-Blood Hill. "What's wrong Gerry? Cat got your tongue?"

** I'm trying to put all of the work which I've deemed publishable on here so you can read all of them and then tell me which ones you believe should stay on or I should delete. **

**REVIEW**

**Paradosso**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Angels Are Falling**

Thalia had seen some weird things in her time, but this had to take the cake. "An achidi…" Percy murmured, his hand sliding to where his sword hung from his belt, "I'll distract it."

The beast Percy was talking about stood in the middle of the clearing, feasting on a young boy's flesh. Its hands looked like a single blade off of a pair of scissors, one on each. It was slime-green, and it had large wings expanding from its back. Its body had an armored exoskeleton, which Thalia expected would be hell to break through.

Percy snuck into the clearing, purposefully stepping on a twig and snapping it. The creature turned around, revealing its face. Its mouth was foamy, and it made a hissing sound. Blood red eyes shone in the mid-afternoon light, completely and totally blood-thirsty.

"Aw shit." Percy cursed, sliding his blade out. The creature attacked with an unexpected speed, which made it hard for Thalia's eyes to follow. Her hand slid to her boot, where she hid a knife.

Percy parried two blows from the monster, then kicking it in the chest, which only served to anger it. It knocked his sword away, stabbing him in the abdomen and the shoulder.

Blood flooded down Percy's chin, and he grinned, bemusing the monster. He opened his hand, showing a rune he'd traced on it, which now glowed a pale blue light. "Sayonara, dirtbag." He pressed it to the creature's torso, and the creature exploded, spraying the clearing in a nasty green blood.

"Ew." Thalia spoke, stepping in the clearing. "Um, next time you kill something, can it not explode?"

"Nah," Percy replied, brushing down the wrinkles in his leather jacket, "it's kind of my signature. Like, whenever I kill something, it has to spray shit _everywhere_."

"Wait," Thalia spoke, cupping her ear, "what's that buzzing?"

Percy could hear it too. "Aw crap. This is a nest. And we just killed part of the pack. Run!" Percy jerked her by the arm, racing out of the clearing. "We gotta find a monster to kill!"

"Why?" Thalia questioned.

"So we can bathe in its blood! An achidi keeps your scent for life!" If they have ours, we either have to die, been there, done that, not very fun, or change our scent!"

"There!" Thalia pointed to a large animal, covered in brown fur.

"Good enough for me!" Percy made a sharp turn, veering in the direction of the beast.

He leapt onto its back, gripping it around its tree-trunk neck, as to avoid falling off. Thalia took a throwing knife from her belt, loosing it at the monster, but that only served to madden it.

Thalia knew from then on that throwing knives would be too dainty to fell this mammoth. Looking up, she spotted a bow and quiver muttering, "Oh thank gods."

She took an arrow, quickly notching it on the string and firing. It merely bounced off of the beast's thick coat, dropping to the forest floor. She stuck her hand back in her quiver, searching for arrows that would be more useful at the time.

Her hand struck something metallic, and she grabbed at it. Nocking the arrow, she aimed for the monster's eye. Letting it fly, she watched in satisfaction as it struck the monster, breaking through the eye with no problem.

A few seconds later, the monster's head exploded, and Thalia looked perplexedly on. Slinging the quiver off of her shoulder, she searched for another one of the arrows.

"Thermite," Percy called out, "it's an explosive with a delayed reaction."

**_~Falling~_**

Hestia watched as Lucas was driven insane. She knew who was at work here, but she dare not utter his name, for fear that his wrath be driven upon Olympus.

"ORDER!" Zeus slammed his bolt down, speaking to the various gods gathered in the throne room of Olympus. "We have respectable evidence that father is rising again, and we must choose a champion to lead the demigods in the defense of Olympus!"

Various cries of names were heard throughout the crowd, but the eight year-old sitting in the hearth muttered a word, heard above all others, "Perseus."

Bemused, Poseidon asked, "What good would Zeus' deceased son do us now?"

"I'm not talking about the son of Zeus." Hestia replied.

"Then who, sister, could lead our armies?" Hera inquired.

"Have you ever heard of the Prometheans?" Hestia asked. "They're a race of immortals, older than even the Titans. When you were all too young to remember, he aided us in capturing some of the remaining Titans after the first Titanomachy.

"He taught Artemis and Apollo how to use a bow, and he crafted each with his own hands." Hestia stated.

Zeus, tired of being left out of the conversation, asked, "So how can we find this Perseus?"

"I might have an idea…" Hestia murmured, "but it'll take time."

**_~Falling~_**

"I hate it here!" Thalia complained. "It smells, it's dirty, and you're no good at small talk!"

"Would you can it?" Percy asked, turning his head to look at her, "it's the only place we can stay until you're able to go out."

A rustling was heard outside the door. Creeping up to a window, Percy peered outside. "Dammit," he cursed, "Archangels."

"Who're they?" Thalia asked.

"Fate's version of the minor gods. Kind of. They're the leaders of the Leviathans. Deadly as me, to an extent. They are heartless, and show no remorse, so they're worse."

Percy charged out the door after warning Thalia to stay hidden, chopping at the head of one of the Archangels. "Perseus," the Archangel's cold, monotonous voice rang out, as he thrust his hand, using his powers to magically throw Percy to the ground, "you have no idea how much trouble you're in."

"Well then, Azrael, why don't you enlighten me?" Percy sarcastically muttered, venom in his voice.

Azrael smiled sickeningly, "I'd rather kill you instead."

"Straight to business, huh Az?"

Azrael marched forward, a blindingly white scimitar clutched tightly in his right fist. "Your impudence will be the death of you, Promethean."

Percy forced himself off of the wall, despite Azrael's telekinesis, and kicked the Archangel in the chest. The attempt was futile, only pushing Azrael back a few feet.

Nonetheless, Percy advanced, talking as he did, "Well Az, where're the others? I'd love for you to see Cthulu one more time."

"I'm right here, slime." Cthulu's silky, feminine voice rang out as Percy was shoved to the side by a mound of earth.

"Ugh," Percy groaned, "y' gotta love terrakinesis, huh guys?"

"Get up, runt." The bulkish body of the Archangel Nero came into view, as the angel gripped Percy by the neck, lifting him off of the ground.

"Welcome home, Percy." The ergokinetic Archangel, Moloch, entered the clearing.

"You have no idea how easy it was to find you, Perce. I mean, rising from the dead must've made you sloppy." Amon spoke.

"Well," Percy croaked, "revenge's a bitch." He dropped a circular disc to the ground, and it emitted a high-pitched beeping noise, before releasing an ethereal yellow light.

Percy dropped to the ground, stumbling to the cabin, fumbling with the doorknob. "Percy!" Thalia cried as soon as he was inside. "What happened?"

"Later," Percy spoke, allowing Thalia to help support him, "we gotta go."

**_~Falling~_**

Luke liked to believe that he was successfully fooling everyone. That wasn't true. Apollo was the first to find out.

Thankfully, Apollo came to him first. He dragged Luke into the woods, and they began to talk. Thankfully, Luke had learned a few tricks.

"Who do you think you're fooling?" Apollo demanded, shaking Luke by his collar.

"Apollo, why would you ask a rhetorical question?" Luke sarcastically replied.

"Gospodar sudbine, besmrtnost uklanjanje!" Luke chanted, watching eagerly as Apollo dropped to the ground, ichor flooding out of his mouth.

"Luke no!" Thalia cried out, racing to the fallen god. Percy gripped Luke by the neck, effectively choking him.

"What did you do?" He growled.

Luke smirked, "I simply made him no better than us demigods." Percy struck him across the face, knocking the son of Hermes unconscious.

**_~Falling~_**

"What's happening?" Zeus demanded, as he entered the infirmary on Olympus. Around him, a group of minor gods were lying in the beds, ichor flowing from every pore on their body.

"The Apocalypse." A voice spoke from behind Zeus.

The god of thunder turned, recognizing his son in the stranger's arms. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY SON!?" Zeus thundered.

"Saved his life." Percy replied, laying Apollo down gently. Thalia walked in after him, dragging Luke by his collar. Zeus gaped at his dead daughter, but she did not deign to acknowledge her birth father.

"Who are you?" Zeus demanded.

"Perseus." Hestia murmured in awe, appearing in the hearth in the center of the room.

"Then you must know what this is." Zeus assumed.

"This," Perseus started, gesturing around the room, "is the Siege of Mučiti."

"Which is?" Thalia asked expectantly.

"A plague. It was once used in a war, by the Promethean of strife, Mučiti. He poisoned a general, and 5 who served under him. It immediately killed them. Here, I think it's supposed to send a message."

"What's that message?" Hestia asked quietly.

"Look," he pointed at a cut on Apollo's wrist, "the blood is red. You're turning into humans. If you're humans, you'll be powerless to fight against whatever is sent upon you. And, the demigods would be eager to join, knowing that they're at your power level now. You'll keep your powers, but you can be killed."

"So how do we stop it?" Thalia asked.

"We kill the spell-caster." Percy supplied.

"That's easy," Zeus spoke retrieving his bolt and marching toward the hogtied son of Hermes.

"That's not him. The real caster is dimensions away."

"Then how do we kill him?" Zeus exasperatedly asked.

Percy turned to Thalia, "It's time."

**_~Falling~_**

Nyx stumbled along the dirt trail blindly, the darkness shrouding even her vision. "Nyx!" Hemera hissed, "Where are you?"

"Right here." Nyx tapped her sister on the shoulder, making the younger girl yelp and leap into the air.

"Don't do that!" Hemera shrieked.

"You two are extremely amusing," Thalia said, leaning against a tree, her arms crossed.

"Who are you?" Nyx demanded, brandishing her hunting dagger threateningly.

"I believe I should be asking you that question." Thalia smoothly replied.

"I'm Hemera!" The Promethean of light squealed, "And this is Nyx!"

"_Stronzo_," Thalia murmured, slapping her forehead with her palm, "I am Luna, and this is my homeland."

"You live in the Forest of Souls?" Hemera gasped, "Only the deadliest of demons live here!"

"You mean the Leviathans?" Luna asked, "I can protect myself."

"Hemera!" Aether clumsily broke through the ring of barren trees around them, falling on all fours, "Who's this broad?"

"This _broad_ has a name, pig. I'm Luna." She fingered a bracelet on her wrist nervously.

"Hey! Who're you callin' a pig, wench?" Aether demanded angrily.

"Forgive my Neanderthal brother. He hit his head as a child. I am Erebus," A cloaked man emerged from the shadows.

Luna signaled for them to be quiet. "Leviathans. Four o'clock." She pointed towards the mass of trees behind Aether.

Slipping a knife from her boot, she crouched down and stalked over to where she assumed the monsters were. She was right. A pale white Leviathan, clad in only a loincloth, crashed through the undergrowth, foaming at the mouth.

Luna was on it in a second, her knife slashing upwards, effectively decapitating the beast. A shroud of black smoke escaped from the gash, and the rest of the monster dissolved into more smoke.

A screech was heard, and suddenly, there were a dozen more creatures surrounding them. Thalia snapped her fingers, making glassy black armor appear on her. "Come on…. Come on…"

Her wish was granted as a lithe female Leviathan charged at her flipping over Luna and kicking her in the kidney. Thalia fell to the ground and the beast mounted her, fully intent on scratching out her lungs.

Luna's knife-hand shot up, stabbing the Leviathan in the ribcage, throwing it off of her, before pouncing, quickly killing it. With the first attack, the other Leviathans struck, outnumbering the Prometheans. As soon as Thalia was standing, she was tackled, but was quick enough to clamp her legs around her attacker's neck. She stabbed upwards blindly, impaling the Leviathan in between his eyes.

She released her grip, rolling over to find the other Prometheans finishing off the last of the monsters. She limped over to Nyx, gripping her outstretched hand and pulling her onto her feet. "We should get going before more come back."

Once they had arrived in Luna's cabin, Nyx asked, "Who are you? I mean, who are you really?"

"I'm the daughter of Perseus," Thalia winced, as if ashamed, "My father hid me and my mother in the forest so you all wouldn't find out."

"And do what?" Aether asked. Nyx elbowed him in the ribs.

"What do you think genius? Dad knew that when forbidden children were born, it was slash first, ask questions later. And if I had died, he would've wanted vengeance. Which would've resulted in the exact opposite of what he stood for."

"Your father was a monster." Aether spoke, clenching his fists.

You don't have the right…" Luna muttered.

"To do what princess?"

"Talk about Dad like you knew him." She replied, her head low.

"I knew him better than you did!" Aether shot back.

"Then why did you believe he was betraying people? Huh? He was called Omega for a reason genius! He was the one to end the war, not to start them! He was undyingly loyal, and if you knew him, you would've said something when they strung him up and put him down like one of those things!" She was screaming now, and she gestured towards the forest during the last sentence.

All of the Prometheans looked away from Luna after her rant. "I'm sorry," Nyx mumbled.

"You don't get to be sorry, Nyx! You remember what you told him to do when he was suspended, high above the crowd? You told him to go to hell!"

Erebus spoke, for the first time since the introductions, "We should return to Irkalla."

**_~Falling~_**

Luna faintly recognized the patterns on the walls of the palace. She spoke through gritted teeth as she bowed to Fate and Helix, "Milords, it will be a pleasure to serve you."

She was thrown into a blackened pit, as a test of skill. "You'll be fighting various opponents," Nyx told her as she was preparing for the fight, "some of them are your fears, and others are Prometheans. There are five levels, going from Othala to Uruz."

Thalia clenched her fists as she waited for Fate to summon her first opponent. Aether strutted into the arena, calling to Luna, "Don't worry sweetheart, I'll go easy on you!"

She replied, "Shut up and fight, jackass!" That angered the Promethean.

He charged, raising his broadsword high above his head. "Sloppy," Luna murmured, shaking her head. She kicked him in his unguarded torso, knocking the breath out of him.

She then slammed her knee into his nose; a satisfying crunch could be heard all around the arena.

He roared in anger, this time swinging his sword in wide circular motions around himself, using his extended reach to his advantage. Luna swung inside his circle with precise timing, parrying his blow.

She stepped inside his reach, slamming the hilt of her dagger into his temple, flipping the knife around and holding it against his neck. Fate stood up, proclaiming in a loud voice, "The winner of this bout, LUNA!"

Aether vanished from the arena as Thalia heard a familiar voice, "Why Thalia? Why'd you leave me with them to rot? They hurt me." Thalia spun around, facing a paler, bloody version of Luke Castellan.

"You left me… you promised you would be family. We would always stick with each other."

Tears ran down Luna's cheeks, "You're not real."

"Thalia," Luke reached toward her, but she slashed at his hand with a dagger.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" She roared, lunging at the apparition.

The illusion faded, and she turned to see a teenage boy, with pale skin and blue eyes. Water levitated near his hands, leading Luna to believe that this was Hydros. He hurled the water at her, striking her in the gut and bending her over.

Luna's dagger clattered to the floor, and she raced toward Hydros, dodging his water attacks as she ran. She ducked under a punch he threw at her, gripping him by his hair and slamming him into her knee. He fell backwards, unconscious.

"The bout goes to Luna…" Fate inanimately announced.

A green-skinned woman in a wavy gown walked into the arena. "I am Gaia," her voice sounded like there were ten more of her, speaking simultaneously.

Suddenly, the earth moved beneath her, and she was in the air. A platform of floating rocks stood between Luna and Gaia.

The daughter of Perseus leapt to the first rock, attempting to steady herself. Then the rock began to quake. "Dammit," she mumbled.

She jumped across to the next platform, launching a knife at Gaia. The geokinetic easily avoided the projectile, but it distracted her long enough for Luna to jump to another rock. When Luna finally made it to the last rock, Gaia had stopped making the rocks turn and shift under her.

Gaia acknowledged Luna's victory with a nod before being swallowed by the earth.

The ground returned to normal, and Luna was greeted by another familiar voice. "I knew you were weak."

"Percy?" Thalia turned around, only to be met by a solid fist. "You're-you're real?"

"You were too weak to hold me. Too puny to accomplish the miniscule task you were given, and now everyone will suffer because of your incompetence."

Thalia was struck again, this time in the ribcage. "Ugh!"

"You'll get us all killed because of your incompetent behavior. I knew I should've picked someone else. You were too weak. I should've picked someone else."

"Stop it!" Thalia cried.

"Just face it Thalia… You're gonna die! You're gonna go to hell because you were too weak! You've always been weak! You're a dime a dozen in every corner or crevice of the world. I could find a million Half-Bloods stronger than you! You're WEAK!"

"Stop calling me WEAK!" Thalia screamed, driving her dagger into Percy's chest. His external body vanished, and in his place laid a robot.

"Well done Luna," Spoke Fate, spreading his hands wide, "Welcome to the A.C.E.S.!"

**End of chapter two. I cut this a bit short 'cause I wanted to get done. Yeah, I feel like the story is moving along too fast, I'll try to slow that down next chapter. And A.C.E.S. stands for Alliance of Central Espionage Soldiers, B.T.W.**

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	3. Chapter 3

**I'm pretty sure I was supposed to put something here, so I did. P.S. Percy is like merged with Thalia, in case you didn't know. Like demon-possession in the show Supernatural.**

**Chapter 3: Demons do us Part**

Percy's words echoed in Thalia's head. _You're gonna die! You're weak. Weak! _

Luna zoned out on whatever Nyx was telling her, a migraine stirring in her skull. "Luna! Are you paying attention?" She snapped.

"Obviously," Luna replied dryly, clutching her temple, "'s not like I have better things to do."

"I'll have you know tha" Nyx started.

"Blah blah blah," Luna interrupted, "listen, I can't stress how much fun this's been, but can I just knock out for the night? 'S been a long day."

Nyx sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, before dismissing Luna with a wave of her hand.

Luna entered her room, slamming the door behind her. As she flopped down on her queen-size bed, she took a minute to observe the room. She had large satin curtains, displaying large diamonds and stripes. She had a five-meter closet and a room larger than the entire Zeus cabin in camp. "Percy, what was that?" She asked, referring to the migraine she had earlier.

Percy appeared beside her, his weight tilting the bed. "A flashback," Percy responded, "they'll happen if you find something that's really similar to my life. I held it off, but it still has an effect." He summoned a sword, handing it to her.

"Train," He commanded, standing up and twirling a sword of his own in the air.

"The day's never over," Thalia mumbled under her breath, standing to join him. A gong rang out through the palace, and a look of shock dawned on Percy's features. He vanished, and Thalia knew that her training had finished before it'd begun.

Luna made her way out of the palace's pavilion, bewildered by the sight she was greeted with. A large tornado, nearly 20 feet high, stood in the palace square, a large club in each hand. That was the weird part. It had two arms and a head, but from the body down it was a whirlwind.

Strangely, Thalia knew what it was. A Vihor, otherwise known as a wind spirit. A man had to pray to the wind god, Rafisi, and then slit his own throat on an altar to become one of these things. They were total religion buffs, from what Thalia gathered.

Thankfully, she also knew how to kill it. Drawing the bow from her side, she nocked a cryogenic arrow, firing it at the monster's neck.

It veered wide to the right, freezing a part of the palace wall. Cursing under her breath, Thalia drew another projectile from her quiver, "That won't do you any good at this distance," Erebus walked up to her, despite the frustration evident in Luna's expression, "the wind emanating from the creature will throw your shot off balance. You have to get closer."

"On it," she replied as she sprinted for the Vihor, the arrow and her bow still in hand. Luna scaled the wall with ease, surprised at her impressive agility. She took a moment to fit the arrow to the string, before lining up her shot.

Realizing the creature did not stop moving long enough for her arrow to strike it in the neck, Luna concocted a devil-may-care plan. She leapt from her perch on the wall, twisting into a position where she could see the monster, and fired. She fell to her back, the force of her collision with the ground knocking her unconscious.

**_~We all have our demons~_**

Nico crouched low to the ground, cautiously slipping under the fallen pillar. Pain flared through his right leg as he cut himself on a piece of the ruined mineshaft. His eyes widened significantly as he felt a warm liquid run down his calf, darkening his pale skin.

A flash of gold caught his eye, and he went to investigate. He was greeted by a simple yet elegant ring, a single green loop in the center of a mass of gold. Beside it lay a short, slithery dagger with a purple hilt. A note lay discarded next to it. _All rejoice of the sight the blade of strife, but those touched by sin_ it read, confusing Nico even more.

Traveling further into the maze of darkness and dirt, Nico found a single blade, imbedded in a pile of bodies and bone.

He jumped backwards at the sight, scared as he witnessed his first dead body. Still, curiosity got the best of him, and he approached the blade. The sword was rust covered, with a long leather hilt, finalized by the diamond in the bottom. The blade itself was black, and Nico suspected it would've been astoundingly sharp had it not been covered in rust.

He grasped the hilt of the sword with both hands, lifting and removing the weapon from the mass of bodies. The rust magically flew off of the blade, surprising Nico. "And so it is written, that the one who removes the Blade of Hearts from its tomb shall be the one to begin the Apocalypse."

Nico turned as a tall man in a robe emerged from the shadows, a journal in one hand and a scepter in the other. "Who are you?" Nico demanded, trying to seem intimidating by brandishing the sword.

"I'm a lowly scribe," he replied, "you on the other hand, are a monster."

"How am I a monster?" Nico questioned, lowering the sword.

"You're doing the bidding of the greatest monster of all." The scribe replied.

"I prefer the term "unprivileged person," A voice said, as the scribe flew against the wall. A scruffy man, roughly six feet tall, stalked into the mineshaft, clad in a suit and tie, "thank you, Nico. You've done me a great service."

"I don't have anything to do with you!" Nico screamed, "I just want my sister back!"

"In due time, young champion," the man cryptically assured, "but now, the Apocalypse must begin."

**_~We all have our demons~_**

Thalia woke, her head spinning. She was in a sick bed, she observed, and Nyx was sitting to her right, a sullen look on her face.

"W-what's wrong?" Thalia croaked.

"The Farlanders attacked yesterday, taking a fourth of our army with them, before they retreated. We have no idea of knowing the extent of their army, and no way of getting there." She replied, heaving a long sigh.

"Well, thank you Ms. Optimist," Luna dryly replied, "Just get me to their guide. I'll take it from there."

"Can do," Nyx spoke, helping Thalia from her bed.

An hour later, they were on the edge of Irkalla, a hooded man traveling with them. "H're ya go dames," his gravelly voice proclaimed, "that'll be fifty coins."

Instead of payment, Luna whacked him over the head with the hilt of her knife, knocking him unconscious, "Thanks, your service was greatly appreciated."

"Y'know, we could've just gone on without the collateral damage," Nyx spoke.

"What fun is that? Learn t' live a little," Luna broadcasted, dashing ahead of Nyx, who sighed and followed.

"Whoa," Thalia skidded to a stop, taking in the sight before her. A large portal stood on a stage ahead of her, and behind it laid the ocean. Inside the portal, you could see a seemingly endless desert.

"Yup. The Arcadian portal, created by the largest trading/traveling civilization in the universe." Nyx summed up.

"Well," Luna started, "I guess it's now or never." After saying those words, she leapt into the portal, followed by her companion.

Thalia was soon greeted by the tip of a spear, pressed against the base of her neck. "Who are you?" The guard gruffly demanded.

"A lady, so remove that pigsticker from my neck, you bastard." Luna responded, kicking the guard between his legs.

"Oof!" He exclaimed, sliding to the ground.

Thalia drew a knife from her boot, "Next time you get a suspicious prisoner," she spoke, crouching down and placing the dagger against his throat, "don't hesitate."

Blood spurted from the gash in his neck and Nyx awkwardly spoke, "Well then, now that you're done with that wonderful display of your anger issues, can we get going?"

"Sure," Luna agreed, wiping her knife clean on the man's turban, before standing up and following Nyx.

"So, where is this big bad fortress anyway?" Luna asked as they walked through the barren desert.

"There," Nyx bluntly answered, pointing ahead of them where a large castle had recently appeared.

"'S bout damn time." Luna replied, marching toward the gates.

"So how do we get through?" Thalia asked.

"We climb," Nyx responded, pulling a bundle of rope out of her bag.

"Course, we can't just knock 'n the damn door." Thalia complained under her breath.

"Yeah, why don't we just ask for a first class seat in prison?" Nyx sarcastically retorted.

"Someone's feeling bitter." Thalia muttered.

**_~They're fighting, clawing for control~_**

Luke thrashed against his bonds, the rope digging deep wounds into his wrists. "Dammit!" He exclaimed, struggling even more.

Suddenly, he was in a dark red cavern, the smell of sulfur lighting up his senses. "Kiddo, you were in quite the predicament," a taunting voice rang out.

"Where are you?" Luke demanded.

"Why Lucas, why the hostility? I'm only here to talk," the voice assured, before correcting himself, "well actually, I'm here because the gods threw me in, but you get my point."

"I'm not going to help you!" Luke insisted.

"I think you are," a silky smooth hand rested on the back of Luke's neck, "y' see, Lukey boy, I know of all of Fate's plans and such, and how Kronos is actually just a pile of gods-forsaken ash. So, unless you want all of that to spill, I suggest you do what I tell you. How d' you feel about that?"

"Fine," Luke growled, "what d' you want?"

"Actually, or motives are quite similar, Luke. You wish for the gods to be overthrown, and I wish that they would be squashed underfoot. Just 'cause I killed a deadbeat step-dad of mine, I was cast out of my homeland. Zeus brought me to Olympus, where I met Hera. She and I shared something, and for that, I was punished. Does that sound fair to you?"

"No," Luke admitted, "but why do you want me?"

"Cause' you're on the inside, Lukey, and you know people. If you can direct the upper landers' attentions at Kronos, we can win this."

"You're Ixion," Luke stated, "how did you get this powerful?"

"When you've been somewhere long as I have, you learn the tricks of the trade." Ixion replied, summoning a bottle of some fiery red liquid, "Y' see this? This came from the river Phlegethon. It's steroids for monsters," He tossed it to Luke, and it was so warm his whole body sweltered in mere seconds, "y' need to drink it."

"Why do I need to drink it?" Luke suspiciously questioned.

"Because," Ixion drew out the word, "that's how you get stronger, duh."

Luke summoned his courage, dropping his head back and downing the fire. His insides burned, his throat drying up. "Aah," he rasped, "thanks for the warning."

"No problem," Ixion replied, "now come with me."

**_~Trying to break your spirit~_**

Thalia stumbled into the large limestone throne room, followed closely by Nyx, "Bonjour, mes prisonniers!" The heavy-set man on the large golden throne in the center of the room exclaimed.

"Is he speaking French?" Thalia hissed at Nyx.

"Excuse my dear brother, for he has not adapted to the native language. I am Laxion, leader of our military forces." A clean-shaven man in a tuxedo walked into the room, a sword hanging at his side.

"Who is the one responsible for the attacks on Irkalla?" Nyx demanded.

"Dear child, we simply raided to gain the proper necessities for survival. It is your imbecile emperor who brought this upon your kingdom."

"Lord Helix banished your kind because they were too violent for a world of peace!" Nyx retorted.

"Your king is a coward," the man spat, "who hides behind an army of bumbling cretins in armor."

Nyx bared her teeth, but Luna took this as a time to approach the situation democratically, "Tell me, could you not have gained all of these things you stole through trading?"

"As if your king would sell to a race which he banished. If he did, he would be more of a hypocrite than he currently is." Laxion spoke, staying in his spot at the throne's side.

"Well, you are the hypocrite here, Laxion. Clearly you are more fit to rule than your brother, but you choose to remain at a place of inferior power, as to place all of the blame for your actions on him."

"You preach of truth, but does your companion know your true identity?" Laxion asked, stunning Luna.

"What's he talking about?" Nyx hissed.

"Nothing. He's trying to create false suspicion within our ranks, because he knows he's losing this debate." Luna replied, not missing a beat.

The man chuckled darkly, while Thalia made busy loosening her restraints. Once she'd slipped free of the bindings, she dashed for Laxion, punching him in the face.

He fell to the floor with a grunt, spitting some blood out of his mouth. "Insufferable cretin," he muttered, standing to his feet.

Nyx charged him, free from her bonds, but was thrown back by an invisible force, Luna joining her moments later. "You know," Laxion spoke, admiring his recently unsheathed sword, "I always found that attacking your armies was foolish. Why attack the tail of the snake when the head has generously delivered itself to me?"

_Thalia,_ Percy spoke, _give me control of your body, I can get the two of you out of this._

Thalia relented, and Percy etched a rune onto the wall. The marking _Thurisaz _glowed a light blue ethereal light across the room, and Laxion was blasted away by another invisible force. He started laughing out loud, bemusing Thalia, "So it is you! Finally come back, huh?" Thalia advanced, and his laughter only grew.

"Go ahead, kill me. They'll find out eventually. You can't hide it! You're just a monster to them, less than the likes of us Farlanders. And when they find out, they'll string you up and put you down, as if it were clockwork."

Luna's knife cut a clean slit in Laxion's throat, but he still laughed, all the way until his death.

**_~Attacking you in your weak points, and Satan's knocking at your door~_**

Nico was officially hallucinating. "Aw come on kiddo, just say yes." The man the suit pleaded.

"No." Nico replied, staring blankly into the distance.

"Why won't you? I can give you everything you want," he enticed, "I can even get Bianca to leave those _wretched_ hunters."

Nico was interested now, "What do I do?" He asked.

"Just wait, until the time comes." The man cryptically replied.

"Wait!" Nico cried, "Who are you?"

"Me? You can call me Mammon, bud."

**I recently got the House of Hades, and I'm going to try to work some of that into the story, like I did the river Phlegethon. This chapter is sickeningly short, but I couldn't write any more. I'm working on one other story (it's Demon!Percy) but I'll start working on the next chapter for this right away.**

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	4. Chapter 4

**4: Remembrance**

Nyx wasn't even going to try to kid herself; she hadn't really cared when Luna had run off, spouting nonsense about some demon known as "The Raven."

So she did what she always did to clear her mind; hunting. She met Aether in the halls as she attempted to escape the confines of the palace. "Hey Nyx, h've y' seen Luna?" He asked.

"Move." She bluntly commanded, strolling by him without a glance, holding her crossbow by her side in her right hand.

"Sure, sure," he replied, "geez, Ms. Bossy." He ended, muttering under his breath.

Nyx made it to the woods surrounding the palace in less than a minute, her crossbow loaded and ready to fire. She ran to the small, serene clearing that Percy'd always taken her to when she was upset as a child. "How'd I know you'd come here?" She heard _his_ voice say.

"Where are you?" She called back.

"Over here," Nyx spun toward his voice, "or maybe not."

The sound of a branch snapping caught Nyx's attention, and before she knew it, her crossbow had fired at the intruder. The satisfying sound of her bolt cutting through flesh was heard, and a messenger from the kingdom fell through a break in the undergrowth.

Percy appeared, crouching down and checking the man's carotid artery for a pulse. He let out a low whistle, "Killin' innocents left an' right like that," he looked up toward her, a smirk adorning his chiseled features, "I guess I will see you in hell Nyx."

"I'm not like you!" She screamed, dropping the crossbow and clenching her fists, "I show loyalty! I don't abandon my loved ones!"

"Who abandoned who here?" Percy asked, standing up to his full height, "The last thing I heard from you was you telling me that I could rot in a pit of despair and death and torture. And you know what? I did, Nyx! I stayed there for seven millennium! You know why? Because you told me to!"

"I didn't know…" Nyx whimpered.

"Oh, you didn't know! How convenient! Because little Nyxie didn't know her big brother was being tortured to extents that would make Helix beg, it's all good now, isn't it?"

"At least I didn't try to kill the man who took two orphans in when no one else would!" Nyx yelled.

Percy let out a humorless scoff, "I can't believe you! You actually think I would do something like that? To Helix? My father? You really don't know me."

"When're you gonna come back Percy?" Nyx brokenly asked.

"Actually, you just missed my vessel, who went to go find Raven." Percy replied.

"Wait? Raven's real?" Nyx asked.

"Do you remember that old prophet's journal? The one with the leather back? _And with the Raven, come the dead, walking as if alive_," He recited, "the Raven is a singular term. He is the only being who can regularly travel between the lines of life and death. He's bringing souls back to life, and he's never _ever _done that before. He's being controlled." Percy stated.

"Who could have the power to do that?" Nyx wondered aloud.

"_And with the Devil, the Prophet shall rise, wreaking havoc with a sweep of her brush_," Percy recited once again, "it's from the book of forty seals, all leading to the Acromanti. The Prophet is randomly elected once Mammon has risen, and everything she predicts is destined to come true."

"So, she could say that I would catch on fire right now, and that would just magically happen?" Nyx assumed.

"No. Her prophecies only come true if a Celestial being has foretold so. Like, I dunno, and angel or something. The opposite of the Archangels," Percy summed up, "Anyway, I have to go. Gotta get to Raven before Thalia gets herself killed."

**_~Can you remember~_**

Thalia stomped up the hill of an overly plant-infested area. She used her hand to sweep away a curtain of moss revealing a large slab of concrete, with many runes etched into it. Thalia recognized the largest three. _Wunjo_, the rune for joy and prosperity, _Algiz_, the rune for protection, and _Berkano_, the rune for physical and mental growth, along with healthy child birth.

Thalia also recognized the placement of these runes. They were in a Serenity Triangle, used to worship the sky god Tyr, hoping he would give them the necessities they needed to remain a prosperous city for a long while.

Thalia snorted, 'cause that worked out real well for them.

Suddenly she was struck by an intense migraine. She saw the region she was in, but is was cleaned up, and covered in snow. A young boy in tattered clothing ran into the village, "Raven!" He screamed, "Where are you?"

"Calm down Perseus," A cloaked man appeared behind the younger version of Percy.

"I want my mother back," Percy stated, turning around.

"And what makes you think I'll do that?" The Raven calmly responded.

"This," Percy pulled out a sawed-off shotgun, pressing it to Raven's skull.

"Well, straight to business then," Raven began, "to get your mother back, you'll have to sell your soul, and I'm quite sure you're unwilling to do that."

"Counteroffer," Percy pulled the trigger on the shotgun, putting a pair of shotgun shells into Raven's brain.

Raven shook it off, as if it was a mosquito bite, "Goodbye, Perseus."

The vision faded, and a voice greeted Thalia, "Astounding, is it not? How malicious and corrupt Perseus was back then?"

"Raven," Thalia stated, turning to face him, "I should've known that I wouldn't be able to sneak up on you."

"Why are you here, child?" The cloaked figure asked. Thalia took in his appearance. He had dark purple scrawling, covering the right side of his face, two circular holes where Percy'd shot him, and a long scar going from his left eye to the corner of his mouth.

"I'm here to stop you from raising more of the dead." Thalia responded.

"You can't stop prophecies, Thalia. You should know that." The Raven calmly responded.

"Why are the holes still there from when Percy shot you?" Thalia wondered.

"Do the dead heal their wounds? No, since I am one with death, I may never die, but the fatal wounds inflicted upon me shall never heal."

"Sounds like the beginning to a heartfelt story," Percy called out from behind Raven, "but time's running short so we're gonna have to wrap this up."

"I was wondering how long the girl would have to stall me." Raven summoned a large mahogany staff, tipped off by an enlarged raven head. He turned around; aiming the staff at Percy's chest, and it shot a long dark beam of energy, knocking Percy onto the ground.

"Consider that revenge, chum," She hated to admit it, but this guy's dry sense of humor was kind of growing on Thalia, "now, let's get onto the topic of this prophet girl who's causing us all so much trouble."

**_~How happy we were~_**

"_Voila_!" Hermes exclaimed, gesturing to the wide array of Enochian symbols and ancient runes on the circle he'd created.

"Don't get too full of yourself," Athena advised, walking towards the loop to check it for accuracy.

"Will it work?" Apollo croaked, limping into the large room. He'd only been on his feet for a few days now; the spell that Luke had cast on him having drained his energy to a bare minimum.

"Apollo," Artemis followed him into the room, guiding him into a chair, "you need to rest."

"I'm expendable," Apollo stated, "all that matters is that you get help. If I croak, that won't matter. I can't help anyway."

"Don't say that!" Artemis scolded, "Apollo, there are people here who care for you. You can't give up now!" She pleaded.

"Artemis, I'm a dying fire. You can't help me. Just… just find some poor bastard who can help the rest of y'all."

Artemis stormed out of the room in a huff, "Fine! If you want to die, go ahead! Leave behind all the people who care about you! I'm going to find out how to fix you!"

"'Pollo, Arty's right. You can't give up in the middle of the race. We'll find that Percy shmuck again, and he'll work some mojo on you, and before you know it, you'll be kicking Kronos' pale ass into Tartarus again!"

Apollo let out a strained chuckle, "Always the optimistic, aren't y' Hermes?"

"'S kinda my job." Hermes replied, leading Apollo to the infirmary.

"Well," Athena started, "Hestia, you're the most knowledgeable of us about this. Do you believe it will work?"

"I believe it has to." She responded, standing up to come examine the scrawling in the center of the room.

"So, who are the demigods we've elected to travel to this dimension?" Athena asked.

Hera joined them in the room, "We've chosen Reyna, Frank, Hazel, and Dakota, from the Roman camp, and Clarisse, Annabeth, Leo, and Piper from the Greek camp."

"Artemis and Apollo have volunteered to travel with them," Hestia added.

"Well then, all we need to do is bring them here." Athena finalized their conversation.

**_~How innocent~_**

They'd only been in the same vicinity for five minutes, but the two groups of demigods were already at each other's necks. "Enough!" Artemis exclaimed.

"Greeks, go to the left corner, Romans go to the other! So help me Zeus we will settle this like civilized individuals, and without ripping each other's heads off!"

"Lady Diana," Reyna started.

"Artemis," Annabeth cut in.

"I refuse to coincide with these unorganized Neanderthals, no matter what purpose it shall serve!"

"Neanderthals? At least we're not total hard-asses!" Piper retorted.

"You're close enough," Frank muttered to himself.

"Shut up! All of you! Just shut your damn mouths!" Apollo screamed, standing up in his chair. "Y' wanna know the truth?" He cut himself with Artemis' knife, gesturing to the red blood flowing down his arm, "They're turning gods into humans, through some ancient mojo voodoo crap! So if that's not enough t' get all 'f y'all working together, you'll never work together!"

"Lord Apollo," Annabeth stepped forward, joined by Hazel, "are you all right?"

"Obviously," Apollo's voice was laced with venomous sarcasm, "I'm fuckin' perfect. 'Cause your traitorous bitch-boy boyfriend did this to me, Annie, and now I have t' deal with you whining brats. 'Oh I have to deal with Reyna, who's an exact replica of myself! I'm in hell!'"

"Let's get these introductions done," Apollo started, "Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus or Vulcan, resident fire-user. Annabeth Chase, unofficial leader of the Greek camp, daughter of Athena or Minerva. Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite or Venus and a charmspeaker, and finally Clarisse la Rue, daughter of Mars, also known as Ares, and a big ol' hothead."

"She's my sister," Frank whispered to Hazel, a bit scared.

"It would seem so," Hazel replied, a slight smirk on her face.

"On the Roman side, Reyna Ms. Doesn't-Use-A-Last-Name, daughter of the goddess of war, Hazel Levesque, dead-girl extraordinaire, daughter of Pluto, known as Hades, Frank Zhang, son of Mars, or Ares, and Dakota no last name either, it seems like a Roman trait, the son of Bacchus, also known as Dionysus. Now y' know each other, hug it out kiss, it's your choice just stop actin' like you're frickin' two!"

Apollo's rant seemed to do the trick, as the two groups stopped bickering. Athena entered the room, "Well done, Apollo. Now, the spell to transport you to the other dimension is very specific, and must be done under the exact conditions," The demigods organized themselves in their positions around the loop, and Athena began chanting, "Perzej, prijevoz ove duše na vašem mjestu, tako da oni mogu spasiti naše duše."

**_~Do you remember~_**

The sulfuric scent that ran through Tartarus had filtered through Luke's nostrils; enough so that he was no longer bothered by the smell. Ixion led him through various passages, until they found themselves in one big chamber. "Here," Ixion started, "is where we will train you."

"Train me to do what?" Luke asked, as he took in the vast arena.

"To kill without remorse. To torture, and inflict fear upon your opponent," He summoned a Cyclops to the dome with a flick of his wrist, and then vanished, reappearing in the stadium, "you need to learn to fight like a monster."

The Cyclops charged, his battle axe held high above his head. Luke rolled out of the way, and Ixion snapped his fingers, freezing the Cyclops in place, "You have to learn to fight like a brute! The enemy already knows how you currently fight, you need to be unexpected."

He snapped his fingers again, returning the Cyclops to his original position.

The Cyclops charged again, swinging his axe at Luke's side. Luke turned toward the axe, swinging downward with his sword. The blade cut cleanly through the axe's shaft, and the head of the axe flew off behind Luke somewhere.

Luke continued, thrusting his sword at the Cyclops' chest, breaking through the rough skin on the Cyclops' body. Jerking his sword out of the monster's chest, Luke swung his sword once again, beheading the beast.

"Good," Ixion called, "now, let's continue!" He summoned two dracaenae this time, and they continued like that until Luke reached fifty monsters at a time.

"Ugh!" Luke fell to the ground, sweat coming from his body like it was a river.

"Good Lucas! We've finished for today; you may head to your chambers."

When Luke arrived at his living space, he was surprised to find a demon living there, "Hey Luke," she purred, "I'm your entertainment for tonight."

He walked into the room, the demon coming to rub up beside him, "So, Ixion sent a demon to compensate for what he put me through out there?"

"You could say that," she mumbled.

"I'd better make the most of it then." Luke picked her up, slamming her into the wall and then furiously kissing her.

"Ooooh, Luke, that feels so **good**." He responded by continuing to trail kisses down here collarbone as he removed her top, revealing the lacy bra underneath. Yeah, he had a good time.

**_~What happened back then~_**

Raven led the way, until they found themselves outside the perimeter of a city known as Aracoina. "She's in here," he spoke, pressing a hand to the wall, "she's definitely in here."

"So we're just going to barge in on her, jerk her out of whatever she's doing, and tell her she's altering worldly events?" Thalia asked.

"I was kinda going to cross that bridge when I came to it," Percy replied, scaling the wall with ease.

"Joy, improvising." Thalia muttered under her breath.

Once Thalia had gotten over the wall, Raven appeared next to them, "Follow me. I have a direct link to the prophet."

It took them about five minutes to get to the prophet's house, where they busted in with the least amount of subtleness possible, "Woah!" The eighteen year-old girl exclaimed, "oh god it's you." She attempted to escape, but Percy caught her by the arm.

"Stop struggling!" He growled, "We're not here to hurt you."

"Oh really," she shot back, "cause the man in the hood looks really friendly."

"Raven," Percy exasperatedly started, "take off your hood."

"Wait, Raven? The rising with the dead Raven? I'm so screwed, oh god oh god."

"Calm down! We just want to know how to stop the dead from rising," Percy told her, letting her arm go.

Her hand shifted to her waist, looking for a knife that wasn't there, "Here," Percy said, giving her the small blade he'd taken from her as she was running away.

"There's a place, that's like Tartarus in this world. There's a portal, and Mammon had to open it to rise, and the dead are coming through it back to life. It must be closed." She told them.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light, and a group of about ten people appeared, "Oh no," the girl started, "it's happening, _as the travelers come, the Ranger arrives, taking with him a plethora of lives_." She collapsed on the spot, and Percy rushed forward to catch her.

"What was that?" Thalia asked, in a panic.

Raven turned to her, "That was a prophecy."

**_~Remember~_**

"Ha! This is so much fun!" Flaming arrows bombarded the small fishing village, setting huts and houses alight.

Cries of innocents were heard throughout the vicinity, but the manic laughter of the archer on the cliff was heard above all.

Raven appeared behind the archer, his raven-headed staff in hand. Striking the archer on the back of his head, he took him by the collar and vanished.

He reappeared in the same building he was in moments before, holding an unconscious archer by his side, "The ranger," he stated, "who was setting alight a fishing town, and killing innocents. This prophet is becoming more and more dangerous."

"Do you expect me to ice a teenager, Raven? Really?" Percy asked.

"And why is she giving prophecies anyway?" Thalia asked.

"Seals are being broken. The first seal was Mammon rising, and that was when she gave her first prophecy, of me raising the dead. Every time a seal is broken, a prophecy is given." Raven explained.

"What are we going to do with this lot?" Percy asked, gesturing to the group on the floor.

"It's undecided, as of yet." Raven replied.

One of the newcomers groaned, rolling onto her back, "Which one you saved my brother?" She asked, struggling to her feet.

Percy put his hand up, "That'd be me."

"We need your help," she stated.

"Sorry, Artemis, I can't right now." He replied.

She grew angry, starting forward, "My brother is dying, and you 'can't right now?'" She asked.

"Okay, you can handle the Devil, a portal on the inside of Tartarus that dead people are just strolling out of, and a tyrannical king who's going to kill my family and take over the most powerful kingdom here while I heal a mortal." He responded, growing angry as well.

"I'm sorry," she started, "what can we do?"

"First and foremost, we'll need a team. Raven, Thalia, and I will be going through Tartarus to close the portal from the inside. We'll need you to close it from the outside."

"Okay," Apollo was standing now, though he still wasn't looking good, "we'll do it."

**I'm stressing out over this because it's really short and I don't wanna disappoint the fans and ugh. Anyway, I hope you like and I worked really hard to get this done overnight and I'll start working on the next chapter later tonight but now I'm going swimming. Bye!**

**REVIEW**


	5. Chapter 5

**6-Descent**

**Percy stood,** staring at their small training camp in an unnamed forest in the middle of now-where. "Will they be able to do it?" Raven asked, coming to stand beside him.

"They'll have to." He replied, walking to their dining tent.

Apollo sat, scarfing down food. Since traveling to this realm, he'd felt better, and began to act like himself again. "Men," Artemis spat, as she intricately cut into the deer Percy'd hunted this morning. Raven was quite sure she was just bitter because she hadn't gotten the kill.

Percy took a rib from the platter which the food laid on, hungrily chomping into it and letting out a relieved sigh, "Apollo," he called, "these're cooked t' perfection. Raven, try one."

"I'd rather not," Raven replied, sitting down in one of the chairs in the room.

"So what? You don't eat?" Apollo asked.

"I'm a Celestial being," Raven started, "eating is not a necessity for me."

"How is someone who works with death a Celestial being?" Apollo wondered.

"Have you ever heard of the angel of death?" Raven responded.

"Aaaahhh," Apollo realized.

"Going past Apollo's outright idiocy," Artemis started, "how will we proceed from here?"

Percy rolled out a map on the floor, "The mass group will go through the Altadega Pass, while Raven, Thalia, and I go by forest." He explained.

"Wait," Apollo started, "why are we going by some strange pass, while the three of y'all're just gonna stroll casually through the forest?"

"This big a group will stir up suspicion. However, the Altadega pass is much less occupied than a forest." Percy responded.

Thalia barged through the entrance to the tent, "Hey Percy," she greeted, "when're we gonna leave? It's boring here." She complained.

"Fine," he replied, standing up from the floor, "come with me."

He led her to a secluded spot in the woods, and he took out his sword, "Best 'f seven duels," he proclaimed, "if I win, you can't complain for a week."

"And if I win?" Thalia questioned, taking out a sword of her own.

Percy shrugged, "Pick y'r poison."

"She wants to," Raven proclaimed.

"We'll cross that bridge as we come to it, now won't we?" She cut Raven off.

"Fine by me," Percy replied, twirling his sword in wide circles as Thalia charged.

Within a few minutes, they'd attracted a large crowd. Many of the girls were cheering on Percy, as well as the boys. Artemis stood silent as she watched, and Apollo manically grinned as he cheered for Percy.

Thalia swung her sword at Percy's neck, and he ducked, easily sliding under the blow, "You could've taken me down," she accused.

Percy shrugged, "I could've," he admitted, parrying a strike from Thalia's sword, "but we're having too much fun."

Apollo burst out laughing, and Artemis elbowed him in the ribs, "Glad you're enjoying the show!" Percy called, slashing at Thalia's midsection.

Thalia tried to sweep his feet out from under him with her sword, but Percy flipped over the blade, tapping the back of Thalia's neck with his sword, "One-Zero, you're falling behind."

As they retreated to their starting positions, Thalia loosed a throwing knife at Percy, which he caught, "Hey!" She exclaimed. "No godly powers!"

Percy charged rapidly, feinting toward Thalia's neck. Her blade went up to stop the attack, and his sword curved down, striking at her torso. Thalia leapt backwards, gathering her footing, before charging once again, flipping over Percy's head and kicking him in the back of his knee, tapping him on the back of his neck this time.

"Thirty-seven, huh?" He asked, referring to the move he used on her the first time they sparred.

"At least you have a shirt on this time," Thalia retorted.

"You sound disappointed," Percy shot back.

This time, they both charged, their swords meeting in the middle with a clash of sparks. Percy gritted his teeth, pressing down harder.

Thalia retreated, leaping back a few yards. "Scared?" Percy taunted.

"You wish," she retorted.

He shrugged, motioning for Thalia to attack. She charged, leaping out of the way at the last second.

He whirled around, leaning back to avoid the tip of her blade. After it had passed him, he lunged forward, gripping her sword hand and pressing his sword to her neck. "Two-One. I'd say you're going to stop complaining real soon."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Thalia responded, shrugging her shoulders.

"You'd be surprised by how little I actually sleep," Percy laughed.

"Nah, I'm a bit 'f a stalker," Thalia responded, eliciting a small chuckle from Percy.

"Wouldn't surprise me," He called back.

He charged, rolling under Thalia's sword, hopping to his feet and swinging his sword at her. Thalia was ready, however, and she blocked his sword with hers, jabbing him in the ribcage with her free hand.

He gave a small chuckle, "Good job," he praised, grabbing her sword hand once again.

Thalia struggled against him, but he twisted her wrist, making her drop the blade. He pressed the tip of his sword against her neck once again, declaring his victory in a playful manner.

Once they'd returned to their original positions, Thalia leapt high into the air, her sword clashing with Percy's. This time, however, both of their swords broke in half. Percy calmly stepped back, discarding the broken weapon, "Hand to hand, then?" He asked.

Thalia smirked, gesturing for Percy to attack. He charged, bringing a fist upwards and striking Thalia in her midsection.

She grunted, falling backwards into a reverse-somersault. Landing on her feet, she dashed forward, leaping into the air and launching a foot at Percy's chest.

He caught the strike in midair, stepping to the side and watching her crash to the ground. He counted to five on his hands, before offering Thalia a hand up, "You telegraphed your attack, making it easier for me to counter."

She grunted in response, returning to her edge of the clearing. She ran to him, swinging a fist for his forehead. He ducked, popping up once again after she'd passed by. He gripped her forearm, bringing it behind her back and up toward her shoulder blades.

She struggled, but that only served to injure her more; Percy grinned in delight, "I win."

**_~Descent~_**

Ash.

A dull color, sometimes appearing in grey or black.

However, it was all Athena could see as she surveyed the forest which had previously stood mighty and unyielding. "What happened here?" She wondered aloud.

"I'm afraid young Nicolas made a deal with the devil," a voice responded.

Athena turned, seeing a tall man in a suit stroll through the ash, his hands behind his back, "I'm that devil, by the way."

"You're the one who slaughtered my sister's followers?" Athena demanded.

"Not all of them," the man admitted, "Nico was quite adamant that his sister had to be spared. And he also wanted to keep the Nightshade girl, so that he would feel the crack of her bones under his fists. Each and every one of them." He gave a sinister smile in Athena's direction.

She charged at him, but met nothing, "Now, now, we don't have to be hostile about this, do we?" He asked, appearing behind Athena.

"You killed my sister's hunters." She accused.

He shrugged uncaringly, "You have t' break a few eggs to make an omelet. Now, onto the topic of this Kronos bloke, he's not real."

"What?" The goddess demanded.

"Well, he's about as real as the ash we're standing in," The man reconsidered his previous statement.

"Lying to a goddess is not a wise choice, male." Athena threatened.

"That's the problem with you Pagans," the man clicked his tongue, "you think you're so powerful."

He flicked his wrist, throwing Athena backwards into the ash, "However, that is not the case."

Athena rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a ball of fire blasting through the mound of ash.

She summoned her spear, charging at the man. She thrust her spear through his midsection, but he just grinned at her, blood flowing down his chin.

"Wha?" Athena gasped, astonished to see the man still standing, as he had been impaled by a godly weapon.

"Sorry, love," Mammon lifted Athena up by the throat, the spear still protruding from his chest.

"Ulkani odantai edonis!" Mammon chanted, as a brilliant yellow smoke flew from Athena's mouth, curling up into the sky.

Athena fell to the ground, limp and frail. Her complexion was paling rapidly, and Mammon vanished from the scene. Seconds later, Poseidon arrived, kneeling next to her and scooping her up. "What happened to you?" He whispered.

**_~Descent~_**

Percy snuck toward the large camp, a single blade gripped tightly in one fist. With his other hand, he signaled for Thalia to sneak forward.

As Percy crept nearer to the camp, he peered through the undergrowth around their campsite. He saw a group of approximately four tents, surrounding one large tent. He brushed aside the branches, cautiously stepping into view.

Mistake.

A creature growled, leaping forward to tackle Perseus. His black eyes glared harshly at Percy, his gnarled hands grasping his throat tightly.

"Ack!" Percy struggled to free himself from the demon's grip. A shiny silver cut through the monster's heart and Percy threw the beast off of himself, "Thanks," he grunted.

"N' problem," Artemis helped the Promethean to his feet, as Percy brushed some green demon blood off of his jacket.

A scream rang out, and Percy raced to the origin of the sound, Artemis on his heels. They found a note when they arrived, and Percy picked it up, "Sorry mate, but your little vessel's mine now," he read, "we'll be at Devil's Peak. Get ready to negotiate. Signed, Mammon."

"Dammit!" He exclaimed, his fists clenching, despite the note.

"I'll take you," Raven appeared behind Artemis, his large mahogany staff in hand, "but we must go alone."

"And why can't I come?" Artemis demanded, quite offended by the Celestial's statement.

"You are too sloppy," Raven replied, marching toward Perseus.

Artemis gripped Raven by the shoulder, spinning him to face her, "I handled that demon back there pretty well," she jerked a thumb over her shoulder.

"This is the king of all demons," Raven explained, "his powers could boil your insides."

"Fine," Artemis sulked, playing with her dagger.

Raven tapped Percy on his temple with his index finger, and they were teleported to the Devil's Peak.

Mammon stood with his back to the cliff, Thalia tied to a chair in front of him, "Ah! You've arrived! I was beginning to think you wouldn't show, and god knows how boring this mortal can be."

"Fuck you," Thalia spat, jerking against the ropes which held her.

Mammon snapped his fingers, and Thalia's mouth was magically sealed shut, "Now, now," he scolded, "we shouldn't have such unpleasant language at a negotiation."

"What d'you want?" Percy demanded.

"Straight to business then," Mammon observed, "very well. I have a particular feud with an upstart ruler in your neck 'f the woods, and I would like him exterminated."

"And if we don't?" Percy asked.

"Then this mortal you're so fond of shall take a trip to the bottom of Devil's Peak," Mammon tipped Thalia's chair backwards, almost threateningly.

Raven appeared, his raven-headed staff in his right hand. He aimed it at Mammon's chest, firing it before Percy could react.

Mammon shielded himself from the beam with his hand, and flicked his wrist, throwing Raven backwards toward a tree, "Hello again Raven. I see you've taken a break from raising the dead."

"Crowley," the Celestial growled.

"'Fraid not. Y' see, the judge was Crowley. Now, I'm the newly elected Mammon." Mammon shrugged his shoulders.

"What's he talking about?" Percy asked.

Raven spat a bit of blood from his mouth, "Once you are chosen to lead the beings of Hell to battle against the upperworld, you are called Mammon. He used to be Crowley, the lone judge. He would look into a spirit's soul, and see which punishment they deserved, though Crowley always gave a worse punishment than the victim deserved. For that, he was given the title 'Crucifier.'"

"Ah, so we're having a hist'ry lesson. H've you heard how Raven slaughtered entire villages, claiming that he was following orders?" Mammon inquired.

Raven fought off Mammon's telekinesis, marching forward, "Those orders were from Ragnarok himself!" He growled.

"Ragnarok? Please chum, don't tell me you're that naïve. Ragnarok is dead." Mammon mocked.

Percy stepped up, "Who is it that you want murdered?"

"In due time, young Skywalker." Mammon vanished, and with him went Thalia.

"DAMMIT!"

**_~Descent~_**

Luke stood, his sword pressed against the throat of one of the kidnapped demigods. "What are their plans?" He demanded, his sword digging into his flesh.

"I don't know!" The demigod cried.

Luke put down the blade, instead picking up a fiery brand, pressing it to the bare flesh on the demigod's midsection. "AAAIIIIGGHHHH!"

"Quiet!" Luke snapped, removing the brander.

"I told you!" The demigod wailed, "I don't know anything! I'm not in the council meetings!"

Luke moved for the brand again, but Ixion stopped him, "He's not lying. Just but the son 'f a bitch outta his misery. I have a better plan for him anyway."

The demigod's cries for mercy ceased as Luke slit his throat.

Travelling back to his quarters, Luke was greeted by Kelli, the monster he'd met in his room on the first day back.

"What's wrong babe?" She purred, "Nothing I can't cure, surely."

"I'm not in the mood," Luke sulked.

"That bad, huh?" Kelli began tracing lines along Luke's bare chest.

"I'M NOT IN THE MOOD!" Luke slammed the demon into the wall by her shoulders, retreating into the corner of the room and holding his face in his hands, "I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry baby," Kelli stalked over, a triumphant smirk on her face, "you'll need that anger for what we have planned for you. Let's work on that remorse now…"

**_~Descent~_**

A conch horn rang out, and all of the campers raced to the hill. Annabeth made it there first, however, followed by Gerard, "Gods of Olympus," she gasped.

A demigod's head lay on the verge of the hill, decapitated at the base of his neck. Annabeth recognized him as Milton, one of Apollo's sons. "Return to your activities campers!" Chiron cried, weaving through the crowd to get to Annabeth.

As the mass of half-bloods dispersed, Chiron pointed at the head, "Check his mouth. There's a piece of paper."

Annabeth cautiously walked to the son of Apollo's head, kneeling down and opening his mouth. A note fell out, the edges wet with saliva, "Dear Chiron, Olympians, and Campers," she read, "we'll slaughter one of your own every week you do not surrender to Kronos' might. We have contacts on the inside of your petty summer camp, so you'd best choose wisely. HAIL TO KRONOS!"

On the other side of camp, a son of Ares was stirring up a riot, "You see how little our parentage cares for us! How Apollo did nothing as his son was decapitated! If they cared for us, wouldn't they shield us from this horror? The gods are weak!" The crowd around him roared in approval, but it quickly drowned out as they stared in horror at the figure standing behind the speaker.

"Y'know kid, you really were a disgrace," Ares stepped up, gripping his son by the wrist. He jerked a scythe charm away from him, crushing it under his boot.

The god's fist rose up, connecting with the demigod's nose and knocking him unconscious. "You lot ought to be ashamed 'f yerselves!" He bellowed.

"'F we told ya why Apollo couldn't help 'is kid, ya'd run for yer mommies, ya snotty-nosed brats!" He roared.

"Brother, stop." Athena appeared beside him, wearing a flowing white gown. Poseidon stood silent beside her, his hand on her shoulder.

"Demigods!" He thundered, "Kronos is not the threat! Luke Castellan has demonstrated a technique which will turn gods into mortals! Currently, we have every able bodied immortal working towards a cure! Your task is to stay strong! No matter the circumstances, Olympus will come out victorious!" He thrust his fist into the air, and the campers followed suit, cheering and whistling and yelling like madmen.

"Mother," Annabeth spoke to Athena, "you're pale. What happened?"

"Later child," Athena soothed her daughter, "currently our task is to boost your morale. Now, we must convene with Chiron."

**_~Descent~_**

The acidic whiskey famous to the people of Irkalla ran down Percy's throat, making his voice raspy, "What do we do now?" He asked.

"We continue to the Hekana." Raven responded. The Hekana is the proper name for the entrance into Hell.

"And the two of us go in alone? That's not a plan, it's a kamikaze mission." Percy responded, discarding the empty bottle of whiskey and standing up.

"Do you have a better one?" Raven challenged.

"Fine!" Percy stormed out of the tent, quickly met by the smaller form of Artemis.

"What happened?"

"Nothing. I'm just gonna go f'r a walk."

Artemis gripped him by the arm as he attempted to slip past her, "Where are you going?" She demanded.

Percy jerked his arm away, walking into the woods, "Females, 'm I right?" Percy turned, meeting Mammon's eyes with an icy stare.

"What d'you want? Y' already have the bargaining chip you so greatly desire," Percy's voice showed exposed none of the internal anger he was feeling.

"Ah, Perseus. You misunderstand me. I'm a lover, not a fighter."

"The bloody image of Thalia depicted upon my brain currently says otherwise."

"Ah, sorcery can really do wonders." Mammon waltzed over towards Percy.

"Now, what d'you say about my offer?"

Percy pulled the sawed-off shotgun from behind his back, pressing it to Crowley's temple, "Time t' die, dickhead."

He pulled the trigger, and a shotgun shell full of Sveti blasted straight through Crowley's brain. Suddenly, a familiar rustling was heard, and Percy was hurled to the ground by an invisible force.

"Hello again, Perseus." Azrael spoke, his white scimitar clenched in his right fist.

"Well, saving a devil's bacon, huh? 'S a new low. Anyway, you happen to be late."

"Actually," Mammon spoke, standing up, "Azrael is quite punctual. And it'll take more than a mere shotgun shell to kill the Mammon."

Where the bullet had pierced his skull, there was now a small shimmering crown, "Ta ta, for now."

Azrael picked Percy up by his neck, slamming him into a tree, "Aye Moloch, fetch me the poison scythe, will ya?"

"Actually brother, if you don't mind, I'd like to torture this son 'f a bitch fer a while." Moloch stepped up, his large, dark wings stretched out behind his back.

In his hand was a scythe, the edges green with poison. It was slightly rusted, but Percy still suspected it'd hurt like hell.

He pushed off of the tree with his feet, twisting out of Azrael's grip, and landed on the ground in a roll, his hand going to the sheathes behind his back, "Well boys, seems we've reached an impasse."

"Not quite, traitor." Percy was blasted by a mound of dirt, falling to the ground once again.

He groaned, "How many 'f you dickheads are there?"

Not waiting for an answer, he leapt to his feet, lunging at Azrael. He decked the Archangel in the cheek, blasting him backwards.

He ducked instinctively, narrowly avoiding the poisonous scythe. His leg shot out, striking Moloch in the kneecap. The Archangel cried out in pain, wobbling backwards.

Artemis cried out in pain, blood flowing from the wound near her temple. Percy turned, and Cthulu asked in a cold voice, "Will you comply now, Perseus?"

Percy closed his eyes, in immense concentration. The scythe flew from the ground to his outstretched hand, and Percy said, "You're not the only one with powers. Now, let the girl go and fight me, or are you too scared to fight me? I'll bet you are."

Cthulu's eyes flared with anger, but she replied, "I will not be lured into a fight if I already possess the leverage I need."

"I think you will," Percy spoke, "because Archangels are flawed beings. They each have their fatal sins. And you, Cthulu are too extremely **stupid **to realize that."

Cthulu snapped, screaming in rage and lunging at Perseus. He caught her by the throat, lifting her off of the ground and pressing the scythe to her ribcage. He sent a menacing glare at the two male Archangels on the ground, "Take her, leave, and never **ever **come back."

Azrael ran over, scooping up Cthulu's writhing body, "What did you do to her?" He demanded.

"She needs to learn that every one of her actions has a consequence. She hurt my friend, I hurt her. We're even. Now go."

That rustling was heard again, and Percy went to check on Artemis. Pressing his index finger on her wound, black veins began popping up on his arm, and he had a head injury now, though Artemis' was gone. "Medic!"

**_~Descent~_**

Nyx stood, overlooking the vast, snow-covered valley before her. "Tartarus!" She hollered, "Show yourself!"

"Yes, sister?" Tartarus had an exasperated drawl in his tone; as if this was the place he'd least like to be. In hindsight, it probably was.

"Is Mammon still in his cage?" She questioned.

"No," he let out a dark chuckle, "actually, Crowley just paid a visit to dear Perseus."

"You knew Percy was alive?" Nyx inquired incredulously.

"I know where every dead thing is. Besides, the magic he was using to conceal his presence inside that mortal was somewhat insulting. I saw through that while sleeping."

"Currently? He's healing a goddess from Gaia's realm who had a quarrel with Cthulu." Tartarus answered, looking at the sky to tell the time. "I must get back to my realm, for the dead are rebellious at the moment." He vanished in a plume of dark smoke.

"I take it our brother wasn't very helpful in your quest to locate a dead man." Nyx turned around, met with the sight of her brother Aether standing there.

"Obviously," Nyx bitterly grumbled.

"Why are you looking for Perseus? You saw him get beheaded."

"He's alive. And he's trying to help."

"I'm sorry you see it that way," And with that, Aether drew his broadsword.

**Um... I don't know what to say.**

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